How to Boost Your Credentials Without Getting a Degree

By Theresa Schempp

By Philip D. Adams

November 25, 2024

Students don’t have to commit to a degree program to gain specialized, career-relevant skills and valuable credentials. And, apparently, they know it. According to the Gallup-Lumina State of Higher Education 2024 Report, "U.S. adults have never been more likely to consider enrolling in a degree or credential program,” and “this surge has been primarily driven by rising interest in industry certification programs.”

At UMGC, students can take certain industry certification exam prep courses without enrolling in an academic program. These include the Project Management Professional (PMP), SHRM Certified Professional® (SHRM-CP®), SHRM Senior Certified Professional® (SHRM-SCP®), and the Association for Supply Chain Managment APICS certification.

Certificates Can Be a Path to Certifications

Students who don’t want to commit to a degree program can also choose to enroll in a certificate program with coursework that can help prepare them for industry certification exams. For example, at UMGC, the undergraduate Advanced Management certificate can help prepare students for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam.

The undergraduate certificate in Digital Marketing can help prepare students for three industry certification exams: 100-101: Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate, Certified Digital Marketing Associate (CDMA), and Associate Professional Certified Marketer® (PCM®) Digital Marketing.

UMGC’s undergraduate certificate in Human Resource Managment can help prepare students for two certification exams: Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). If a UMGC undergraduate certificate program can help students prepare for industry certification exams, that information is included on each certificate’s webpage.

Several UMGC graduate certificate programs also include coursework to help prepare students for industry certification exams. For instance, the graduate certificate in Accounting can help prepare students for certification exams including Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

The Bioinformatics graduate certificate can help prepare students for certification exams including IBM Certified Developer – Cognos Analytics and Tableau Desktop Specialist Certification. Just as with the undergraduate certificates, if a UMGC graduate certificate helps prepare students for industry certification exams, that information is provided on each certificate’s webpage.

How Certificates Enhance Your Professional Value

Monico M-D, Graduate Certificate, Homeland Security Management

Whether a certificate helps prepare students for specific industry certification exams or not, undergraduate certificates and graduate certificates provide short-term credentials that provide students with specific knowledge and skills in a particular field and make it possible to earn a valuable credential quickly without committing to a degree program.

The skills students gain in a certificate program can often be applied at work right away—and many courses transfer to a degree program.

For working adults who’ve been out of school for some time, certificate programs can be a good way to ease back into college and to see how school will fit into your busy schedule. They can also provide an opportunity to discover new interests—perhaps even steer your career in a new direction.

Earn a Certificate at UMGC

At University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), we recognize that your career path is uniquely your own, as are the talents, training, and experience you bring to your profession. That’s why UMGC offers a variety of time- and cost-saving ways to craft your own education track, as you build the unique combination of skills and credentials that can distinguish you on the job and in the job market.

UMGC offers more than 25 undergraduate certificates and more than 20 graduate certificates in a broad range of fields, including business and management, cybersecurity, healthcare and science, public safety, data analytics, and much more—any of which can be completed entirely online. Undergraduate certificates can be completed in as few as 18 credits, and graduate certificates can be completed in as few as 12 credits.

Program Stackability

Our certificate programs are often composed of courses from a related bachelor’s or master’s degree program, so completing a certificate could get you that much closer to earning your degree.

UMGC alum Najam Q., who graduated in 2023 with an MS in cybersecurity management and policy, also earned a graduate certificate in cybersecurity management and policy along the way to his degree. He discusses the value of that combination:

"The certificate program was essential in understanding basically how cybersecurity policies work, the risk management, the publications of federal standards, and how they correlate with what's going on in the field today. It was a very helpful add-on as I was getting my master's.”

As you prepare to embark on the next stage of your career, check out UMGC’s certificate programs, and see how they can provide you with the industry-relevant skills, experience, credentials you need—for less time and money.

Reference on this webpage to any third-party entity or product does not constitute or imply endorsement by UMGC nor does it constitute or imply endorsement of UMGC by the third party. 